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To
the Editor Kelowna Daily
Courier
Stuck in the traffic jam in Kelowna, this is in reflection to your editorial
of June 30, 06, about leadership foresight, or rather the lack of, in
government. Well taken is the example you refer to - the recent Kelowna
Mission pool case, the decades old bridge issue and Central Okanagan Bypass
plan and healthcare – managed to fail? Unfortunately, these are only a few
examples of government’s failure to provide foresight; i.e. timely analysis,
planning and intervention. The forestry, fishery, and First Nations are
other examples where decades of interconnected, social, economic and
ecological issues, unsolved, are allowed to escalate into adversity causing
irreparable harm to society. It is about the Government’s accountability to
society, that which is not private sectors’ task, in a democratic governed
mixed economy such as Canada. As an analogy, most will agree that airline
safety and air traffic control cannot be the responsibility of the private
sector Airlines themselves - hence, the standard in government does matter.
The Daily Courier is a business with responsibility to its owners and
advertisers, but as a newspaper the Daily Courier is also a public trust
with an overriding responsibility to the society it serves. Freedom of
expression and freedom of the press is the life-blood of democracy and the
press/Daily Courier addressing issues in both the private and corporate
sector and government is crucial for our Canadian democracy and the economy.
However, holding the government and its municipal corporations accountable
to society by investigating, raising questions, addressing issues and
allowing free flow of information and debate is the press’s most important
task and imperative for society. The editorial raises justified questions
about the Government’s standard, role in our economy, and constitutional
accountability to society for social and economic development and allied
issues that, unsolved, inevitably will become detrimental to society. The
editorial is a recognition of the Daily Courier’s responsibility to the
community and also marks the importance of local and regional newspaper and
why society should support papers that have the editorial freedom to
justifiably challenge the social and political establishment and possibly
its’ advertisers and customers – it is not easy. The editorial should spur a
broad and vigorous debate in society about foresight and standards in
government; i.e. timely analysis, planning and intervention, and about
issues not persons. In the Okanagan, the government’s and municipality’s
economic development models bolster the positive, and take credit for what
is bound to happen, while ignoring socioeconomic and ecological realities,
and allowing the issues to, unsolved, escalate in to adversity? For example,
particularly in Okanagan, is our taxation system a clear and present danger
that contradicts sustainability? Considering that our municipality’s major
revenue source is property taxes and allied land and sector development
fees, rather than from personal and business income. Is the taxation system
fueling excess spending in land development, real-estate and allied low tech
sectors and hampering or in fact crowding out investment in more higher
technology sustainable economic production and employment?
The problem is that government’s behavior is only one side of the equation,
while the attitude and behavior of the members and voters that make up the
economy and choose their leadership and government is the other side,
therefore addressing one side doesn’t solve the problem. Realizing the
behavior in our government institutions, from local to provincial and
federal levels in municipal, and First Nations, councils and boards, school
boards, healthcare authorities, University Boards of Governors and Senates,
etc. etc, reflects not only the level of understanding, but also the moral
and ethical value of the society that makes up economies, such as in Kelowna,
Okanagan and elsewhere. Little has changed since the early democracy in
ancient Athens, rational and plain ignorance, apathy and smugness in society
are still the underlying cause to failure in government and why those who
address issues most often are out of luck. Therefore, the apparent failures,
for example in the bridge, healthcare, forestry and in particular the First
Nations versus Canada, is not only a systemic failure but sort of a
democratic failure - why are the voters accepting this? Better government
and sustainable allocation of scarce resources, and hence, a better function
economy and society, can only come about with a better understanding in
society, as produced by private sector research, Universities, and
government research institution as in the Pacific Agriculture Research
Center in Summerland. This will only emerge if there is a free flow of
information that is vigorously discussed in society and facilitated by a
free press such as the Daily Courier. Ultimately your editorial should
therefore, foremost raise concerns about what kind of research and education
our Universities rejects and prioritizes; decisions that are critical for
the present and future generations and also reflects the University’s moral
and ethical value. In the Okanagan, the research and education that the new
UBCO prioritizes and rejects should be one of the chief concerns in our
society that makes up the economy in Kelowna and the rest of Okanagan and
hence be a prime concern for the press and the Daily Courier.
OISD Kelowna
August 14, 2006
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